(VII) Twins

Sam quickly dispatched the dozen Hobgoblins with the newly acquired combat knife without a sound, collecting their Beast Cores and storing them in his bag. 

He picked up another knife from another soldier along with two holsters for the blades and attached them to the belt of his pants. 

Now armed with two weapons, the young man felt emboldened, dashing forward as he spun the two blades in his palms.

He dashed through the lines of the Hobgoblins, his combat knives stained red as they flashed through the air. Each movement was meticulous as he quickly evaded the wild swings of the monsters, slicing their vital points.

The horde of Hobgoblins steadily thinned as they vanished into black smoke. Sam's movements were caught as onlookers noticed the reduced numbers and started pointing. 

They broke out into an excited gossip as the young man proceeded to finish off the last monster and started to collect his spoils casually. 

He smirked to himself as he picked up the last one, inspecting the D Rank Beast Core in his hand before dropping it into the bulging bag hanging behind him.

'I won't be stuck at F Rank this time around…' He grinned, dancing excitedly in his mind. He turned to the portal as he contemplated entering but pushed the notion out of his mind. 

He looked at the night sky, pillars of smoke rising from all around the city, and shook his head, feeling remorseful. 

He pondered how much longer it would take for a Zodiac to arrive at the nearby portal, deciding to clean the area of Beast Cores before they came.

He quickly found another bag and picked it off another body, thanking them for their contributions and praying for them before he dropped the filled messenger bag off at his hiding spot.

He approached the portal, kneeling down, and meticulously collected every crystal he could locate, filling a second bag and sighed as he stashed it with the first and started looking for another. 

Ultimately, he collected over five hundred F Rank Beast Cores and nearly four dozen D Rank Beast Cores, yet still no Zodiac arrived.

"Tch!" Samael clicked his tongue, staring up at the skies, wondering when they would arrive. In the end, he decided to abandon the area.

He picked up the four bags, slung them over his shoulders, and casually walked away, stopping when he heard a loud shout from behind.

"Wait!!" A voice rang out, prompting him to turn around, seeing two young teenagers wearing mix-matched white and black shoes, one wearing black pants and the other a similarly colored skirt.

They both wore hoodies with long ears on their hoods pulled over their heads; one wore white while the other was black. The one in white had blue hair, the one in black had red hair, and both had bright purple eyes.

"Who are you?" The child asked, glaring at Sam as if he was the devil himself, their sibling cowering behind them and whispering into their ear.

"I'm Samael, but everyone calls me Sam." The young man replied with a smile, stepping forward, prompting the children to retreat a step, "Who are you guys?"

"None of your business! How did you get rid of the monsters?" The bold child shouted, causing Sam to frown. 

"It's pretty rude to ask for someone's name and not provide your own…" Samael admonished, kneeling before them, holding his hand out, and staring at the children softly, "Where are your parents?"

"You didn't-"The child yelled before yelping in pain as their twin twisted their ear, interrupting them.

"Enough, Kaitlyn!" The quiet one scolded, "Quit being rude!"

The polite twin pushed her sibling, causing them to stumble forward as they spoke up, approaching the young man, "I'm Nathan, and this is my sister Kaitlyn, but everyone calls us Kate and Nate."

"Nice to meet you, Kate and Nate." Sam said with a smile, "What happened to your parents?"

"We lost them when our house broke…" Nate replied, his sister adding, "We were looking for them when we saw you."

"I see…" Samael replied, stroking his chin as he looked around, "Where is your house? I can help you look."

He wanted to tell them the harsh reality but bit his tongue as he stood up and patted their heads. Nathan smiled brightly, holding the hem of his black skirt as Kaitlyn glared up at him and grabbed his hand, biting his palm. 

She immediately regretted the course of action as she felt as if all her teeth would fall out. Sam picked her up by the scruff of her hoodie and suspended her midair as he glared into her eyes. 

Instantly embarrassed, Kate curled into a ball and wrapped her arms around her pants, pulling her knees into her chest. When nothing occurred, she cautiously peeked out underneath her hood to see Sam making a goofy face. 

He carefully set her down on her feet as Nathan wrapped his arm around his sister's neck, and the two started laughing, dispelling the tension surrounding them. 

"Here, do me a favor as all of these bags are so heavy." Samael said, handing the two a singular backpack. Nate smiled and pulled it on, but Kate protested but still complied with the request. 

"Alright!" He said, clapping his hands together, staring between the two, "Lead the way!" 

"Okay!" The twins replied in unison, turning around as they held hands, walking down the street as if nothing had happened. 

Samael stared at their backs with a hint of chaos in his eyes, 'Neither of my abilities activated, so they must not be Awakeners... What should I do with these two..?' 

He sighed as he turned his head, staring off into the distance where his mother and friends should be safe, wishing he was there to ensure their survival. 

He returned his gaze to the twins, noticing Kaitlyn leading as Nathan stared back at him with a smile, and he reciprocated, increasing his pace as he patted him on the head.

The twins led him through the streets; the occasional monster would appear and instantly be vanquished by Samael as they approached the neighborhood where the siblings had lived. 

The entire community was destroyed; not a single house stood, and body parts were scattered throughout the streets. Sam's hair stood on end as he experienced this devastation for a second time, shaking off the foreboding feeling. 

The twins stopped at a destroyed house, and they pointed at it, turning to Samael. The young man nodded and wrapped his arms around their shoulders as he led them up the driveway. 

He stepped in front of them, kneeling before them as he dropped the three remaining bags he was carrying and stared between the two siblings, "Stay here and stay quiet. If you see anything, and I mean anything, call out for me, okay?" 

"Okay..." Kate and Nate replied in unison, nodding their heads. Sam smiled at them, patting the top of their heads before turning around, walking the rest of the way to the house, and shifting through the rubble. 

As soon as Samael disappeared from view, Kaitlyn sat down, pulling the backpack into her lap and opening it, looking at the bounty of crystals. 

"Kate!" Nathan admonished, "What are you doing???" 

"You're not curious what these things are?" Kate scoffed, rolling her eyes and reaching into the backpack, pulling out one of the D Rank Beast Cores. 

"No!! You shouldn't either!" Nate hissed, running over and grabbing the core as it suddenly started glowing, brightly illuminating the entire neighborhood.